I have a small crush on Marco Pierre White.
Ok, let's be real here. A sort of cross between Mickey Rourke and Julia Child, he's too old, too fat, too grizzled, and probably smells like duck fat and stale cigarettes. But there is an air of balanced, intelligent confidence about him as the host of NBC's reality show Chopping Block, the first I've seen him in action, that kind of turns me on.
Marco is a bit like Meryl Streep's "Miranda Priestly" in The Devil Wears Prada. He illicits fearful respect just by calmly entering a room and cuts to the point with words so direct he needs not raise his deep voice to slice to the bone. But moreover, he cares about his craft and listens in his role as judge of the contestants' dreams. He isn't merely performing for the cameras without ever trying to impart wisdom like that screaming shit who trained under him, Gordon Ramsay. Perhaps once as combustible as Ramsay, he gives the impression of having mellowed with age. He seems to take everything he does seriously, treating this forgettable reality show with the same intensity he would a dinner service in one of his restaurants. I find that sexy.
I told that to my boss, a friend of Marco's since the 80's, and he hasn't stopped laughing since. But you know what? Have a peek at Marco as a younger man...
You see? I'm not so far off the mark. Totally fuckable. The attitude and air of confidence, intensity, and bad boy charm were there then and still are now. The skin may sag but the man remains the same. I know a hottie when I see one, even under thirty extra pounds and a few dozen wrinkles.
After the jump, see Marco in action cooking a country favorite of my own.
